GT #41: Jazz @ Wizards - Wed Jan 10th - 7 PM

[nate33]

The Jazz are reeling after losing Gobert to injury in mid-December. Without Gobert, they've lost 8 of their last 10 (doesn't count Sunday's Miami game). They don't have a lot of great scorers in general, so without Gobert to lead their normally stifling defense, the wheels have come off. Their DRtg with Gobert healthy is 104.5, which ranks them 3rd in the league. In the 10 games without Gobert, it's 115.2, which ranks dead last in the league.

On the other hand, the Jazz handed the Wizards their most humiliating loss in team history early this year, so it's not like the Wizards should be feeling overconfident.

The Wizards will be rested after 4 days off, they're coming off of a disappointing loss to Milwaukee, and they'll be looking to avenge their last loss. I think they'll be focused and engaged this time.

I predict a win.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

I think the Wiz come out with a chip on their shoulders and win big.

[FAH1223]

Hmm...Should I go to this game? Tickets in the 100s look kind of good price wise...seeing Mitchell in person would be exciting...

But then again, getting home at 10 PM on a Wednesday night is ehhh

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

One thing I can say about the Wizards is I am glad that I got NBA League Pass. It is great to be able to watch this team when I choose to.

When my money was really really tight, I didn't want to pay to watch a depressing team. This year's team is full of drama. They are definitely not boring. If I lived near DC I would go to the game against Utah. I will definitely be watching this one.

With Donovan Mitchell on Utah and the Wizards trying hard to win this time; it'll be an entertaining game.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think the Wiz come out with a chip on their shoulders and win big.

It's going to be a nasty dog fight.

After last game the one thing I can say is if they do not win they sure will make this game ugly.

Hmm...Should I go to this game? Tickets in the 100s look kind of good price wise...seeing Mitchell in person would be exciting...

But then again, getting home at 10 PM on a Wednesday night is ehhh

Sleep is optional. 2 hours or 8 hours you can probably function if you have to the next day at work...

Isn't getting home at 10 p.m. kind of early after going to a game?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The Jazz are reeling after losing Gobert to injury in mid-December. Without Gobert, they've lost 8 of their last 10 (doesn't count Sunday's Miami game). They don't have a lot of great scorers in general, so without Gobert to lead their normally stifling defense, the wheels have come off. Their DRtg with Gobert healthy is 104.5, which ranks them 3rd in the league. In the 10 games without Gobert, it's 115.2, which ranks dead last in the league.

On the other hand, the Jazz handed the Wizards their most humiliating loss in team history early this year, so it's not like the Wizards should be feeling overconfident.

The Wizards will be rested after 4 days off, they're coming off of a disappointing loss to Milwaukee, and they'll be looking to avenge their last loss. I think they'll be focused and engaged this time.

I predict a win.

Yeah Nate I think they're going to win by about 13 points.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using RealGM mobile app

[FAH1223]

Sleep is optional. 2 hours or 8 hours you can probably function if you have to the next day at work...

Isn't getting home at 10 p.m. kind of early after going to a game?

Just started a new job so can't be too lax in getting in

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[queridiculo]

When the game gets tight the Wizards stop executing their offense and neither Beal or Wall are good enough isolation scorers to get it done by themselves.

That's the story right there and until they get it out of their heads that they have to get it done they will continue to have these 4th quarter meltdowns.

Haven't looked at the numbers, but it feels like the Wizards offense on less than two passes is absolutely attrocious.

[BigA]

Sleep is optional. 2 hours or 8 hours you can probably function if you have to the next day at work...

Isn't getting home at 10 p.m. kind of early after going to a game?

CCJ being fired up about the squad makes it worthwhile to visit the Wizboard daily.

[verbal8]

I think I worry most about the games the Wizards SHOULD win.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Sleep is optional. 2 hours or 8 hours you can probably function if you have to the next day at work...

Isn't getting home at 10 p.m. kind of early after going to a game?

Just started a new job so can't be too lax in getting in

Oh yeah if you're on a new job you better get yourself 9 hours of sleep. Record the game and watch it later.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using RealGM mobile app

[nate33]

I like John Wall's response to that tweet. He's right in that it is a long season. But noting that it will change at least acknowledges that there has been a problem that needs to be changed. Wall isn't deferring blame.

And to be fair, some of it is by design. The team has been up by double digits with less than 5 minutes to go on multiple occasions. It almost seems like the norm. Eventually it gets to a point where Brooks starts watching the clock and counting possessions. He figures that it's better to use all 24 seconds of the clock and shoot a bad shot, then it is to run the offense normally with the risk of a quick shot and miss or a turnover.

There have been many leads that have dwindled from 20+ to 5-10 points based on this strategy, but the team has held on to win and never really were in danger of actually losing.

Look at some of the recent wins:
vs Memphis, the team was up 11 with 4:00 to go and won by 2
vs Houston, the team was up 28 with 3:55 to go and won by 18
vs New Orleans, the team was up 20 with 4:10 to go and won by 10
vs Portland, up 21 with 5:02 to go and let Portland cut it to 12.

[JWizmentality]

I like John Wall's response to that tweet. He's right in that it is a long season. But noting that it will change at least acknowledges that there has been a problem that needs to be changed. Wall isn't deferring blame.

And to be fair, some of it is by design. The team has been up by double digits with less than 5 minutes to go on multiple occasions. It almost seems like the norm. Eventually it gets to a point where Brooks starts watching the clock and counting possessions. He figures that it's better to use all 24 seconds of the clock and shoot a bad shot, then it is to run the offense normally with the risk of a quick shot and miss or a turnover.

There have been many leads that have dwindled from 20+ to 5-10 points based on this strategy, but the team has held on to win and never really were in danger of actually losing.

Look at some of the recent wins:
vs Memphis, the team was up 11 with 4:00 to go and won by 2
vs Houston, the team was up 28 with 3:55 to go and won by 18
vs New Orleans, the team was up 20 with 4:10 to go and won by 10
vs Portland, up 21 with 5:02 to go and let Portland cut it to 12.

And how many games have we completely blown? Playing not to lose is a stupid strategy. And that John Wall tweet just about cements it for me. Nothing will change. Beal and Wall will keep chucking and ignoring teammates in close games and Brooks has green lighted it. Maybe he and Beal will suddenly become clutch shooters.....I'll wait.

[ClutchDJ]

I like John Wall's response to that tweet. He's right in that it is a long season. But noting that it will change at least acknowledges that there has been a problem that needs to be changed. Wall isn't deferring blame.

And to be fair, some of it is by design. The team has been up by double digits with less than 5 minutes to go on multiple occasions. It almost seems like the norm. Eventually it gets to a point where Brooks starts watching the clock and counting possessions. He figures that it's better to use all 24 seconds of the clock and shoot a bad shot, then it is to run the offense normally with the risk of a quick shot and miss or a turnover.

There have been many leads that have dwindled from 20+ to 5-10 points based on this strategy, but the team has held on to win and never really were in danger of actually losing.

Look at some of the recent wins:
vs Memphis, the team was up 11 with 4:00 to go and won by 2
vs Houston, the team was up 28 with 3:55 to go and won by 18
vs New Orleans, the team was up 20 with 4:10 to go and won by 10
vs Portland, up 21 with 5:02 to go and let Portland cut it to 12.

And how many games have we completely blown? Playing not to lose is a stupid strategy. And that John Wall tweet just about cements it for me. Nothing will change. Beal and Wall will keep chucking and ignoring teammates in close games and Brooks has green lighted it. Maybe he and Beal will suddenly become clutch shooters.....I'll wait.

The thing about John is that he was clutch as hell last season from what I can remember, especially in the early-midway parts of the season when the team took a while to get it going. Now, he, along with Brad, can’t hit anything in the 4th.

[nate33]

I like John Wall's response to that tweet. He's right in that it is a long season. But noting that it will change at least acknowledges that there has been a problem that needs to be changed. Wall isn't deferring blame.

And to be fair, some of it is by design. The team has been up by double digits with less than 5 minutes to go on multiple occasions. It almost seems like the norm. Eventually it gets to a point where Brooks starts watching the clock and counting possessions. He figures that it's better to use all 24 seconds of the clock and shoot a bad shot, then it is to run the offense normally with the risk of a quick shot and miss or a turnover.

There have been many leads that have dwindled from 20+ to 5-10 points based on this strategy, but the team has held on to win and never really were in danger of actually losing.

Look at some of the recent wins:
vs Memphis, the team was up 11 with 4:00 to go and won by 2
vs Houston, the team was up 28 with 3:55 to go and won by 18
vs New Orleans, the team was up 20 with 4:10 to go and won by 10
vs Portland, up 21 with 5:02 to go and let Portland cut it to 12.

And how many games have we completely blown? Playing not to lose is a stupid strategy. And that John Wall tweet just about cements it for me. Nothing will change. Beal and Wall will keep chucking and ignoring teammates in close games and Brooks has green lighted it. Maybe he and Beal will suddenly become clutch shooters.....I'll wait.

To be sure, the team has blown some leads, but not as many as you might think, and not nearly as many recently as they did during November.

I agree that iso-ball/hero-ball is often the wrong strategy and the team resorts to it far too often, particularly earlier in the year. I'm just saying that the team has had a lot of fourth quarter leads that were big enough, that dribbling out the clock actually made sense. It would help if they had more success at it and scored perhaps 35% of the time instead of what seems like about a 10% success rate, but nevertheless, at times, the strategy is sound. It helps the team win games while hurting the stats of Wall and Beal.

[dlts20]

I really like Wall's response too. I've been waiting to hear him say that we aren't consistent because he himself hasn't been. He usually talks about playing like crap. I think he's a lil scared to say something right now because it may hurt his all star chances.

The problem is either Wall or Brooks wants to hold the ball in the 4th which is strange since we lack iso scoring and are much better with faster pace and ball movement. The main problem is that as good as Wall can be, he is still very inconsistent as a shooter/scored and that is doing the normal first 3 quarters with regular flow, let alone trying to wait until 5sec left on the clock in the 4th over and over so that is basically hurting Wall.

Then the other 3 guys on the floor are totally dependent on Wall because they can't create for themselves so if we hold the ball until 5sec left, Wall has no time to create for them. That basically only leaves Beal right now as the only person that you can count on but he's still much better when having plays ran for him than he is at iso ball at this young point of his career.

Which brings us back to Brooks. Coach them up and stop running the clock down. It's stupid.

[dlts20]

I've been thinking about Wall and how he pretty much does everything lefty except shoot. Not many players are like that. Maybe that's why he struggles so much. Probably supposed to be a left hand jump shooter too

[gravytrain24]

Wednesday night vs the Jazz is the perfect opportunity to not spend a lot of money to see this team. Got three club level seats for 21 a piece. I think the wiz come out extremely focus and blow out the Jazz by 30.

[dangermouse]

I've been thinking about Wall and how he pretty much does everything lefty except shoot. Not many players are like that. Maybe that's why he struggles so much. Probably supposed to be a left hand jump shooter too

Just had flashbacks to having this discussion in his 2nd or 3rd year when his shot was still broken.

Then he crossed up (I think) Brandon Jennings and drained a 3, not long after coming back from one of his first sifnificant injuries, and that was the turning point. Ah, memories.